EU Opens Antitrust Probe Into Google's AI Training Using Web Content

The European Commission has opened a formal competition investigation into Google's use of online content to train artificial intelligence models, including Gemini. The inquiry will examine whether Google harms competition by imposing unfair terms on publishers and content creators or by granting itself privileged access to content that could disadvantage rival AI developers.

At the heart of the probe are content from web publishers and videos uploaded to YouTube, and whether Google compensated creators or offered them a way to refuse the use of their content for AI training. The Commission is scrutinizing whether creators are effectively required to grant permission as they upload, while third parties may face an uneven playing field if Google leverages its access to training data.

YouTube has stated that videos on the platform are used to improve product experience through machine learning, including for AI features. The Commission is examining whether these practices cross the line into unfair advantage and whether compensation or rights provisions were properly offered to rights holders.

This investigation fits into a broader EU effort to regulate AI and digital markets, with regulators increasingly scrutinizing how data for AI is sourced and who benefits. If the Commission finds anti-competitive behavior, remedies, fines, or mandated changes to licensing terms could follow.

Industry observers say the ruling could influence how publishers and creators are treated across the bloc, potentially setting precedents for other platforms training AI.

Cover image source: Google faces EU antitrust investigation into AI Overviews, YouTube 🔗

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